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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

If you live in Utah, you might be a fan of this Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing!

Every place has its own food culture, and if you live in Utah, Cafe Rio is a big part of that culture. I've loved Cafe Rio's creamy tomatillo salad dressing since the first time I tried it, and years ago my brother-in-law Kelly gave me a recipe for Cafe Rio Dressing, Chicken, and Rice, which I posted on my then brand-new food blog. All of those recipes are definitely copycat versions of the true Cafe Rio recipes, but the dressing does taste just like the famous creamy Cafe Rio dressing. I've made this so many times through the years it feels like it really needs to be added to the category for Recipe Favorites on the blog!

This is simple to make, but I'm including the photos so you can see how the dressing looks every step of the way. Back in 2007 an anonymous commenter left the tip of roasting the tomatillos before using them in the dressing. I've tried it both ways several times, and still feel that the roasting step is completely optional. I love the slightly sharp tomatillo flavor that makes this so good, so when I have lots of tomatillos in my garden, I sometimes increase the number of tomatillos and decrease the amount of buttermilk a little in the ranch dressing. With all the variations I've tried, I can honestly say I've never had a bad batch of this. Enjoy!

Tomatillos are a plant ingredient that's often used in Latin American cooking, and they taste somewhat similar to green tomatoes. They come with a paper husk, which is removed. For this dressing I use 2-4 tomatillos, depending on how big they are.

If you're trying the version with roasted tomatillos, cut them up and roast for 15-20 minutes in a 400F oven. Watch them, and remove when they start to get barely browned.

The recipe uses two cups of Ranch dressing, which I confess I usually make with this packaged mix. I prefer the buttermilk version, but I'm sure the type made with milk will also work. You can also make your own Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing or Buttermilk Dressing to use as the base for this.

Whichever version you're using, mix up two cups of Ranch dressing in a small bowl. (If you're using the package mix, it will seem thin because the dressing needs to chill for an hour or so. If you want to increase the amount of tomatillos, remember to put a little less buttermilk or milk in the dressing.)

Remove large stems from the cilantro, wash and spin dry or dry with paper towels, then finely chop it in the food processor.

Add the tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and Green Tabasco sauce or jalapeno pepper and process about 30 seconds, until ingredients are finely pureed.

Then add the 2 cups of Ranch dressing and pulse a few times, just until ingredients are well combined. Chill dressing for an hour or two and serve!

Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing
(Makes about 2 1/2 cups of dressing, recipe adapted from a recipe for Cafe Rio Dressing, Chicken, and Rice that I got from my brother-in-law Kelly. See after the main recipe for variations I've tried.)

Prepare Ranch dressing according to directions on the package or recipe you're following and set aside.

Remove large cilantro stems, then wash leaves and spin dry or dry with paper towels. Add cilantro to food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until finely chopped. (If you don't have a food processor, I'd chop all ingredients well by hand and then blend dressing in a blender.)

Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and Green Tabasco or chopped jalapeno to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely pureed. Add the 2 cups of prepared dressing and pulse just a few times, until ingredients are well combined. Chill dressing for an hour or two and serve.

Variations:
~To make a roasted tomatillo dressing, dice tomatillos, place on a baking sheet, and roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes before adding them to the food processor.
~If you'd like even more tomatillo flavor, use 4-5 large tomatillos and decrease the buttermilk or milk in the Ranch dressing by about 1/4 cup.

This would be a great salad dressing for any phase of the South Beach Diet, especially if you used reduced-fat mayo to make the Ranch Dressing. I often use this dressing on a salad with leftover roast chicken, which makes a great low-glycemic meal.

Since tomatillos are an unusual plant ingredient, I'm submitting this to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Anna's Cool Finds. Anna has some Utah roots, so I think she may appreciate the recipe. If you're cooking with an interesting vegetable or fresh herbs, check the Rules for Weekend Herb Blogging to see how to participate.

Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

It just so happens that the daughter half of Fab Frugal Food is visiting the mother half in Utah this week - now we're torn. Do we go to Cafe Rio to satisfy the craving you've just awakened? Or do we make some of this ourselves?

This morning at the bank, a friend asked me what to do with the motherlode of tomatillos that appeared in his garden last week. I suggested he give them to a friend (me)! Now I know what I will do with them -- this dressing sounds delicious.

We visited Utah last week & my only MustDo thing on my list was Cafe Rio. We accidentally ended up with salad dressing on our tray & may I just say that I am in love. I used it for a chip dip! Now I am thrilled to know how to make it.

Thank you so much! I've looked for Cafe Rio recipes in the past and couldn't find what I was looking for: the dressing, the chicken, and the rice. I happened to google it again and found your recipes for all 3 of my favorite things at the restaurant! We recently moved out of Utah, so it was a like a little miracle that I found your awesome recipes! I just wanted to say thank you and that your recipes were great, I tried them all and it was almost like we were eating the real thing!

Erin, you're welcome! So glad you liked the recipes. No idea where these recipes actually were printed when my brother-in-law found them, but I think they're pretty close, especially the salad dressing!

I am Addicted to Cafe Rio and the real reason why is there house dressing. I glad you were able to decode their secret recipe. I tried it but I kind of just eyeballed the measurements of the ingredients and it turned out good but not cafe rio good. Thanks a lot tough, next time Ill try to be a little more precise.

Yes, I can imagine there is no Cafe Rio in Spain. I don't really have time to individually swap recipes with anyone, but if you have an idea for a Spanish-inspired recipe that's South Beach Diet friendly you can send it to me through the e-mail at "how to contact Kalyn" and I'd love to try it out.

I've always loved "homemade" Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. Can't stand it from the bottle, but mixed from the packet, it's absolutely delicious. That combined with cilantro, tomatillo, and Tabasco Jalapeno sounds so good I think I'll make it for dinner tonight! Also, when I come visit, I want to check out Cafe Rio :-)

I love this dressing! I have a recipe that looks identical as far as the ingredients, but everything is just dumped into a blender together, including the Ranch dressing components, blended, and then chilled for a couple of hours.

This dressing looks amazing! This may seem like a strange question, but can I use anything to replace the tomatillos?? I've never seen them in our stores & would imagine them to be expensive as they are not "normal" around here. (in BC, Canada)Thanks

I love, love, love this dressing. I got pregnant after moving out of Utah, and was craving Cafe Rio salads painfully. My question is; how long does this keep in the fridge? Not that I expect it to go uneaten for long, but just in case.

One Thanksgiving I made an all Southwestern meal, which included a side dish of sweet potato enchiladas topped with tomatillo sauce. This is definitely a creamier version of what I made, but it's still a fabulous combination. And, you could add turkey to the enchiladas!

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

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